Lecture courses

Michaelmas Term 2017

Accelerator Physics - Professor E. Tsesmelis and various lecturers

1. Overview of the history of accelerators from the invention of linear accelerators and cyclotrons, the discovery of phase stability, the invention of the synchrotron leading to the modern circular and linear colliders.
2. Magnet configurations for guiding and focusing the beam of accelerated particles, magnetic rigidity, and two-dimensional field expansions. The design of dipoles, quadrupoles and multipole magnets.
3. Transverse optics – strong and weak focusing, Hill’s equation and its solutions in algebraic and matrix form. Computational methods for patterns of focusing magnets. Invariants of transverse motion and the parameters which describe beam size and emittance.
4. Longitudinal beam dynamics – phase stability in a repetitive acceleration system. Transition and momentum compaction. The effect of momentum spread.
5. Principles and design of microwave cavities for acceleration, phase and group velocity – transit time factor and shunt impedance.
6. Synchrotron radiation effects in electron accelerators including the spectrum, energy loss per turn, damping of both transverse and longitudinal oscillation and equilibrium beam size.
7. Basic concepts in accelerator plasma physics, an introduction to laser-plasma-based ion accelerators and an introduction to plasma wake-field accelerators.

This is the first half of a series to be completed in Hilary Term 2018. The format is two lectures in each week of Michaelmas Term supplemented by four two-hour classes on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons in weeks 3, 4, 7 and 8. The aim of these classes is to show the students how to use a standard application program which calculates one of the important design features of an accelerator. Specialists in the fields of Magnets, Machine Lattices and Cavities (respectively) will lead the classes. At the end each class students should be able to run simple data input sets for each program. They will prepare further examples for marking at the next class.

The course includes a basic grounding in plasma physics and lasers to prepare students for the invention of laser driven devices for particle acceleration. The lectures on plasma physics and accelerators will be given on Tuesday mornings in weeks 4, 5 and 6.

In Hilary Term 2018 the classes will apply the skills learned in the first term to prepare an outline of a design study of a new accelerator. Participating students will hand in draft chapters of different parts of a design review report for marking.
Topics which will be covered in the lectures of the second term are: magnet design, non-linear dynamics, beam transport, space-charge effects, beam-beam effects and Linear Colliders, as well as further study of laser-driven plasma accelerators.

Advanced Quantum Mechanics - Dr. F. Azfar

A review of Special Relativity, 4-vectors, co-variant and contra-variant transformation properties, and the 4-vectors with either. Lorentz-scalars, and tensors, some kinematics if time, E-M tensor and transformation properties of E and B fields.

Derivation of the Dirac Equation. Gamma matrices, simple free particle solutions of the Dirac equation, interpretation of spinor components etc. Helicity eigenstates. Introduction of the electromagnetic field into the Dirac and Klein-Gordan equations, p->(p-eA/c)

Electron Propagator. Start with a simple example: propagation of an electron in an arbitrary electro-magnetic field. Expand perturbative series for the propagator and motivate Feynmann graphs from this series. Apply to Rutherford scattering cross-section calculation which in turn will require use of Gamma matrix manipulation, spin sums and trace theorems. Motivate as we go along.

Feynmann rules for scattering explained in conjunction with simple scattering processes. Compton, Moeller, and electron-muon scattering, calculate as many processes as possible. At least one spinless scattering process as well (K-G equation for charged particles). Higher order corrections: a comment on divergences.

Introduction to Symmetries - Dr Fady Bishara

This course of 7 lectures (plus 1 examples' class) is intended for first
year graduate students in experimental Particle and Nuclear Physics. It
aims to give an informal introduction to the general subject of symmetries
in quantum systems, and to provide the basis for a "practical" knowledge of
the most common continuous symmetry groups and their representations, as
used in particle physics. The course will assume knowledge of basic
non-relativistic quantum mechanics (e.g. hermitian and unitary operators,
eigenvalues, constants of motion, degeneracy, spin-½ formalism), of the
mathematics of vectors and matrices, and of four-vectors in Special
Relativity.

Please Note: The sole function of this short computing lecture course is to help new postgraduate students in PP exploit the local computing facilities effectively. As the computing environment is dynamic, the contents of this course is kept under constant review, in consultation with its intended audience.

Particle Detectors and Electronics - Dr. R. Nickerson and others

1. Introduction RBN

Explanation of course purpose, structure etc.

Overview of Elements in PP Experiments

Discussion to establish level of student knowledge

2. Electronics 1 RBN

Basic architectural elements

Typical tasks for electronics

Racks, Crates, Protocols

3. Electronics 2 RBN

Pulse bouncing, grounding

basic bits and pieces

boards, design methods

technologies and trade-offs

4. Electronics 3 RBN

Trigger Systems

Hierarchy

Level 1

Level 2

labVIEW

5. Opto-electronics AW

Data transmission

fibre optics

6. Electronics 5 HK

Techniques for low T

7. Conventional Scintillator detectors

Hamiltonian Dynamics - Dr. B. Pine

This is an eight lecture course which introduces the essentials of Analytical Mechanics. The aim is to provide the background necessary for students studying advanced beam dynamics or particle physics. The basics of Lagrangian Mechanics, Hamiltonian Mechanics, Canonical Transformations, Hamilton-Jacobi theory and Perturbation theory are covered. The first four lectures are general mechanics and appropriate for particle and accelerator physics students, whilst the last four lectures concentrate on applications for accelerator physicists. A problems class will also be arranged for accelerator physics students.

Hilary Term 2018

Accelerator Physics - Professor E. Tsesmelis

In Hilary Term this pattern will continue and classes will apply the skills learned in the first term to prepare an outline of a design study of the LHeC Design Project, the Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) for the Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC). Specialists in the fields of Magnets, Machine Lattices and Cavities (respectively) will lead the classes. At the end of each class students should be able to run simple data input sets for each program. They will prepare further examples for marking at the next class. Participating students will hand in draft chapters of different parts of a design review report for marking and the term will end with a presentation of their work by the students.

There are 4 lectures. The Powerpoint file of the lectures will be available.

Introduction to QCD - Professor A. Cooper-Sarkar

The course introduces the basics of QCD, the properties of quarks and gluons as revealed in experiments at both high and low momentum transfers. The course will focus on the large momentum, short distance phenomena that give rise to the parton model and perturbative QCD.

Methods for calculating matrix elements in perturbation theory and models for non-perturbative processes will be described. Prior knowledge of QED will be assumed.

The foundations of the parton-model picture in QCD and the formalism of QCD, such as asymptotic freedom, the evolution equations, and first and higher order perturbation theory effects will be described and confronted with data.

The theory and phenomenology of deep-inelastic lepton-hadron scattering and hadron-hadron scattering, such as Drell-Yan annihilation and hadronic jet production, will be discussed. QCD beyond the conventional DGLAP formalism will be briefly covered. The course gives a grounding for understanding QCD at the LHC.

Electroweak Interactions - Prof T. Weidberg

This course will give a general overview of gauge theories before addressing the key elements of the Electroweak theory: the parameters and measurements that allow high-precision tests of the theory.

Geometry of forces:
description of a gauge force as the curvature of a fiber bundle; principle of least action.

Particle and interactions:
path integral formulation of transition amplitudes and application to scalar and gauge fields.

Cross sections and lifetimes:
Feynman diagrams and rules and the scattering matrix.

The aim of this course is to give an overview of present and future Particle Physics experiments, with particular emphasis to the interests of this Department. For each of the broad subjects listed below there will be a brief historical overview, the discussion of the present experiments and future plans and possibilities. The lectures will highlight the specific experimental difficulties to be overcome in these areas as well as the physics goals and achievements.

Lepton Collider Physics: Phil Burrows
The production of Standard Model fermion-antifermion pairs in the electron-positron annihilations will be reviewed, including cross-section and asymmetry measurements with polarised and unpolarised beams. Production of pairs of W and Z0 bosons at LEP2 will be discussed. These measurements will be interpreted in terms of constraints on the Standard Model. The physics potentially accessible at future higher-energy lepton colliders will be reviewed briefly.

Neutrino physics: Dave Wark
These lectures will cover, in a more or less historical order, the evidence for, and understanding of, neutrino oscillations and other neutrino properties, and why the experiments are what they are and where they are, (e.g. underground); the compromises involved in their design will be discussed.

Top Quark Physics - Professor F. Blekman (guest lecturer from University of Brussels

This lecture series focuses on the very rich physics of the top quark, the heaviest known particle to date. The top quark was only discovered in 1995 and only since the start up of the Large Hadron Collider it has been possible to study top quarks in very large numbers. The bulk of the lectures will focus on the use of top quarks as a tool, for precision measurements and as a probe for new physics beyond the standard model. As these kind of studies rely heavily on a diverse set of analysis tools and techniques, these will also be covered. Particle physics, and particularly collider physics analysis at the LHC, comes with its own terminology and the speaker will aim to provide students with the tool kit to understand technical presentations and literature by LHC particle physicists in the future.

Trinity Term 2018

Astroparticle Physics - Professor S. Sarkar

This course will not be taking place in Trinity Term 2018 due to Sabbaticial leave.

I aim to introduce students to current research at the astro-particle interface.
There is no problems class.